COLUMN – Thomas’ doubtful Swansea Half-Marathon blog – March

Sport used to be a massive part of my life. I played first class rugby for Bridgend and Aberavon back in the 1990s and didn’t hang up my boots until I was 39. But then I rebelled against any form of exercise and took up a new hobby – eating. I became overweight.

I realised I needed to do something after a group of concerned looking people tried to manoeuvre me into the sea whilst I was sunbathing down Caswell!

Fortunately, I got back into the habit of regular exercise at the start of the pandemic. My motivation, besides wanting to give myself a better chance of being able to claim a bus pass one day, was to boost my mental health.

It really does work. I used to think endorphins were members of the dolphin family but they are even better than that! Now, if I haven’t done some form of exercise for a few days I really feel the need to do so.

I started my journey back to fitness by following a Couch to 5K – or in my case a Fridge to 5K – programme but followed it on a treadmill as it gave the illusion of not running that far. There are pros and cons around using a treadmill. With a treadmill you don’t have to worry about the weather and accessibility (if you’re lucky enough to have your own) is never a problem but it can be boring as you do miss the scenery – at my pace I can take it all in!

From what I see losing weight means eating less and exercising more – if you had a car with a flexible fuel tank and filled it up with petrol three times a day, without ever driving it, then it would eventually burst. You need to burn off that fuel/food.

Since mastering the 5K I have tried to do some exercise – whether it be running, swimming, cycling or climbing on my rowing machine – at least three times a week but I realised that I would need to train properly for the half marathon.

I decided to follow a 20 week training plan, which I have labelled the Good Cop Bad Cop plan as it starts off gently, with three runs a week, all under 4 miles, before turning nasty and hitting me with five runs a week that clock up the kind of mileage a migrating swallow would complain of.

As I write this I’m on week 7 and to be honest I’m finding it hard to stick to the plan purely because of the aches and pains – if I was a race horse I would be put out to pasture or turned into a pot of glue!

One hack that I employ is the dreaded post-run ice bath. The only good thing about this is it doesn’t impinge on my cost of living as there is absolutely no hot water involved whatsoever. The physiology behind it is the cold is helpful in reducing swelling after running because the cold water lowers metabolic activity and constricts blood vessels, thus preventing tissue damage.

My tip is wear a woollen hat!

I spoke to Lewis Bradley, Fundraising Support Manager for our Health Charity, and asked him for some advice around training.

Lewis also happens to be an Iron Man, which doesn’t mean he is likely to rust when it rains, it means he has completed a full marathon – after a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile cycle!

Basically his advice was to listen to your body – mine just creaks.

“If you have to cut back on the training then so be it,” he advised. “And don’t try to make up the mileage if you miss a few runs.”

I have taken this advice to heart!

Personally, I would also suggest, if you do find regularly pounding the streets is taking its toll, is to vary your type of training. If you are after a personal best this may not be perfect but if your aim is merely complete the 13.1 miles, and collect the sponsorship money for your chosen cause, then it’s perfect.

Talking of which, to sponsor me – the money goes to Morriston Hospital’s cardiac centre – then please visit me JustGiving page here.